Page 99 of Single Mom's Christmas Wish

“Hell, no,” Maddox cuts in, downright offended. “Are you kidding me? Who am I going to make banana and blueberry pancakes with every Sunday morning?” He nods to Reed andme. “These two have no understanding of the culinary finesse that goes into those perfectly fluffy cakes.”

Trevor chuckles softly, tears now streaming down his cheeks. “Okay. Yeah. I mean, if you want to adopt me, yeah.”

“We want to,” I say. “With all our hearts, buddy.”

“Then I guess I’m the luckiest kid in the world. I get three dads.” He shoots up from his chair and runs into my arms.

As soon as I hug him, he starts crying, letting months’ worth of grief fall off him like snow drifts from a cedar in winter. Maddox and Reed join in, wrapping their arms around us. Our group hug tightens as we reassure him, over and over, while he sobs and releases every worry and fear that has kept him under constant pressure.

“Not once did we consider letting you go back into the system,” Reed tells him.

“Even all those times I got detention?”

“Dude, we did so much worse when we were kids,” I laugh. “Our mom set us straight, obviously, but she loved us. A parent never abandons their child.”

A bitter-tasting statement if I think about Keith Ellis or Michael Monroe. They both did precisely that, albeit for different reasons. Sometimes, there’s no other choice. Yet I can’t see myself doing that to Trevor. He’s a part of us, a part of our family.

“You’re one of us now, kiddo,” Maddox says.

“But I’m not really your son. I mean, you could’ve put me up for adoption.”

I give him a stern look. “No way, Trevor. You’re a chick magnet. We’d never let our golden goose run off to somebody else like that.”

He laughs, and I love the sound of it. I love the way it reverberates through the entire house. I love the way it lights up his face. My God, this kid has been living with the constant fear that we might grow tired of him and give him up. Deep down, Trevor has been dreading the possibility that we may send him away. That alone is reason enough for him to close himself off and act out.

“And speaking of chicks,” I say, pulling back so I can look at him. “What do you say we get you a mom and a little sister while we’re at it?”

Trevor’s brow furrows with momentary confusion as he searches our faces. “Are you serious?”

“Definitely,” Reed replies.

“How? I mean, how are you going to do that?”

“It’s better if we show you,” I say, smiling with newfound excitement. “But first, let’s grab some dinner and get a good night’s sleep. We’re going to be up early in the morning.”

“For what?”

“We don’t want to spoil the surprise,” I insist.

Maddox gives the kid a heartfelt high five. “Let’s whip up those badass pancakes.”

“Pancakes for dinner?”

“Yep. Come on, kid,” I chime in. “We ride at dawn.”

39

Dakota

“Idon’t understand why you had me drive up to the beach so early in the morning,” I mutter as I pull up on the side of the road. “It’s Christmas, for Pete’s sake.”

Just beyond the wild, tall grass and shrubs, the Pacific Ocean stretches out in a deep shade of dark blue beneath a cloudy sky. It’s not going to be one of those sunny, perfect days, but at least it’s warm and dry. I glance back to check up on Maisie. She’s still asleep in her booster seat, head lolled to the side.

Chelsea gives me a guilty smile from the passenger seat. “I’m sorry. But I know you’ll understand and eventually forgive me.”

“I will if you tell me what the hell we’re doing here,” I mutter.

“It’s a surprise. I just want to show you something, but you can only see it at this godawful early hour.”

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